The Physics of Cheating in Baseball

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

CALIFORNIA STATE SCIENCE FAIR 2004 PROJECT SUMMARY Name(s) Project Number John B. Glaser J0212 Project Title The Physics of Cheating in Baseball Abstract Objectives/Goals I tried to determine whether cork, sawdust, or rubber balls, when used as fillers in hallowed out wooden baseball bats, will cause a baseball to travel farther in distance upon contact compared to a solid wooden bat (the control bat). Methods/Materials My father helped me hallow out three standard bats. I filled each to capacity with one of three substances: cork, sawdust, and rubber balls. I also made a batting device, which held the bat stationary and was attached with a spring to cock the bat back 90 degrees and then release it to hit the ball at the same velocity and position each time. Measuring tape was placed on the ground to mark the spot each ball first hit the ground. There were 25 trials for each of the four bats. Results The solid wooden bat hit the ball the farthest with an average of 206 inches after 25 trials. The cork bat hit the ball an average of 205 inches with the rubber ball and sawdust bats hitting the ball the same average of 202 inches. Conclusions/Discussion I determined that, given all variables constant except the bat filler, a wooden bat hits a ball farther than the other fillers. I considered the weight of each bat, since the filler changed the weight, but the results did not indicate that weight was a factor. More importantly, the density of the bat was consistent with the results. The sawdust and the rubber ball bats are the least dense and therefore hit the ball shortest in distance. A wooden bat is more dense than a cork, but not by a significant amount. Summary Statement The density of the bat is related to the distance a ball will travel, but not to a significant level to allow cheating in baseball. Help Received My dad helped me hallow and fill each of the three experimental bats and supervised me making the device to hold the bat. He also helped to determine the distance each ball projected. My teacher helped me organize the board and made sure I properly submitted the paperwork. Ap2/04.

Copy Link

Recommended publications

The Astros' Sign-Stealing Scandal
The Astros’ Sign-Stealing Scandal Major League Baseball (MLB) fosters an extremely competitive environment. Tens of millions of dollars in salary (and endorsements) can hang in the balance, depending on whether a player performs well or poorly. Likewise, hundreds of millions of dollars of value are at stake for the owners as teams vie for World Series glory. Plus, fans, players and owners just want their team to win. And everyone hates to lose! It is no surprise, then, that the history of big-time baseball is dotted with cheating scandals ranging from the Black Sox scandal of 1919 (“Say it ain’t so, Joe!”), to Gaylord Perry’s spitter, to the corked bats of Albert Belle and Sammy Sosa, to the widespread use of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) in the 1990s and early 2000s. Now, the Houston Astros have joined this inglorious list. Catchers signal to pitchers which type of pitch to throw, typically by holding down a certain number of fingers on their non-gloved hand between their legs as they crouch behind the plate. It is typically not as simple as just one finger for a fastball and two for a curve, but not a lot more complicated than that. In September 2016, an Astros intern named Derek Vigoa gave a PowerPoint presentation to general manager Jeff Luhnow that featured an Excel-based application that was programmed with an algorithm. The algorithm was designed to (and could) decode the pitching signs that opposing teams’ catchers flashed to their pitchers. The Astros called it “Codebreaker.” One Astros employee referred to the sign- stealing system that evolved as the “dark arts.”1 MLB rules allowed a runner standing on second base to steal signs and relay them to the batter, but the MLB rules strictly forbade using electronic means to decipher signs.
[Show full text]
Uniform Requirements
QUICK GUIDE UNIFORM REQUIREMENTS As a representative of your state at the Regional Tournament you are required to dress appropriately. The Official Baseball Rules allow a league to provide that each team wears a distinctive uniform at all times [Rule 1.11b-1]. In accordance with that the following regulations have been adapted for the Regional Tournament. 1. All players on a team shall where uniforms identical in style. [Official Baseball Rule 1.11a-1]. 2. All players’ uniforms shall include minimal 6” numbers on their backs. [Official Baseball Rule 1.11a-1 ] 3. Sleeve lengths may vary for individual players, but the sleeves of each individual player shall be approximately the same lengths. [Official Baseball Rule 1.11c-1]. 4. No player shall wear ragged, frayed, or slit sleeves [Official Baseball Rule 1.11c-2]. No cutoff or sleeveless shirts will be permitted unless a t-shirt with sleeves is worn under it. 5. All players will be required to wear solid baseball over the calf socks, OR white over the calf socks with stirrups, OR all-in-one stirrup socks. Ankle length socks are not permitted. 6. Managers and coaches are required to be in baseball pants and shirts similar in style and color to the player uniforms. 7. Shorts are not classified as baseball pants and are not permitted. 8. Caps must be worn by every player while playing the game but may be omitted during infield practice. Caps must also be worn by each coach in the first and third base coach’s box. 9. Players taking infield practice must be in uniform.
[Show full text]
Pitching Grips
Pitching Grips Pitch #1 – Four Seam Fastball The four seam fastball is a pitcher’s bread and butter pitch. It is the pitch you can throw the hardest and with the best control. Place your index and middle fingertips directly on the perpendicular seam of the baseball. The “horseshoe seam” should face into your ring finger of your throwing hand. Next, place your thumb directly beneath the baseball, resting on the smooth leather. Grip this pitch softly, like an egg, in your fingertips. A loose grip minimizes friction between your hand and the baseball. Less friction = more velocity. Pitch #2 – Change-up This pitch is important because: “hitting is timing and pitching is interrupting that timing.” Pitchers must throw a change-up to keep hitters honest, otherwise they will tee off on the fastball. Hold the ball deep in the palm. Circle around the ball with the hand. Use same mechanics as the fastball – except lengthen the stride and drag the back foot. BaseballTutorials.com 1 Pitch #3 – Cut Fastball While the four seam fastball is more or less a straight pitch, the cut fastball has late break toward the glove side of the pitcher. Start with a four-seam fastball grip, and move your top two fingers slightly off center. The arm motion and arm speed for the cutter are just like for a fastball. At the point of release, with the grip slightly off center and pressure from the middle finger, turn your wrist ever so lightly. This off center grip and slight turn of the wrist will result into a pitch with lots of velocity and a late downward break.
[Show full text]
Dynamical Chaos in a Simple Model of a Knuckleball
Dynamical Chaos in a Simple Model of a Knuckleball Nicholas J. Nelson, Eric Strauss Department of Physics California State University, Chico 400 W. 1st St. Chico, CA 95929 Abstract The knuckleball is perhaps the most enigmatic pitch in baseball. Relying on the presence of raised seams on the surface of the ball to create asymmetric flow, a knuckleball's trajectory has proven very challenging to predict compared to other baseball pitches, such as fastballs or curveballs. Previous experimental tracking of large numbers of knuckleballs has shown that they can move in essentially any direction relative to what would be expected from a drag-only trajectory. This has led to speculation that knuckleballs exhibit chaotic motion. Here we develop a relatively simple model of a knuckleball that includes quadratic drag and lift from asymmetric flow which is taken from experimental measurements of slowly rotating baseballs. Our models can indeed exhibit dynamical chaos as long In contrast, models that omit torques on the ball in flight do not show chaotic behavior. Uncertainties in the phase space position of the knuckleball are shown to grow by factors as large as 106 over the flight of the ball from the pitcher to home plate. We quantify the impact of our model parameters on the chaos realized in our models, specifically showing that maximum Lyapunov exponent is roughly proportional to the square root of the effective lever arm of the torque, and also roughly proportional to the initial velocity of the pitch. We demonstrate the existence of bifurcations that can produce changes in the location of the ball when it reaches the plate of as much as 1.2 m for specific initial conditions similar to those used by professional knuckleball pitchers.
[Show full text]
2021 State Baseball Championships
2021 State Baseball Championships Logan Wins First State Baseball Title The Logan Longhorns (15-1) captured history with a 16-7 win over the Gateway Christiantheir first WarriorsState Baseball (15-5) title at thein school2021 TheNMAA Longhorns State Baseball scored Championships. 16 runs on 12 hits, - including a 4-for-5 performance at the plate by Park Strong, who hit three sin gles and a homerun in the sixth inning. His homerun was a grand slam. - - The Warriors took an early 3-0 lead, scor ing one in the first and two in the second inning. However, the Longhorns responded in the bot tom half of the second with five runs, taking a 5-2 lead after two inning off play. Logan added one more in the third to make it 6-2. Gateway Christian pulled within one run at 6-5 in the top of the fourth, off a home run by Hurley Breedyk but Logan extended their lead in the bottom of the inning, scoring three to make it 9-5. The Warriors added one more in the top half of the fifth but Logan was too much on this day, as the Longhorns added seven more run over the fifth and sixth innings, winning the game 16-7 and hoisting the blue trophy overhead. Texico Captures Fifth Straight Blue Trophy The Texico Wolverines (21-1) won their fifth straight blue trophy and the sixth in program history at the 2021 NMAA State Baseball Championships with a 9-5 victory over the Eunice Cardinals (15-5) in the 2A title game.
[Show full text]
Weber Writes 2010 Weber Writes 2010 I 2
1 Weber Writes 2010 2 Weber Writes 2010 i Table of Contents Foreword .............................................................................................ii Research and Argument .................................................................1 Maryam Ahmad, “France’s War on Religious Garb” .............3 Liz Borg, “When it Comes to Sex and Jr.” ..............................9 Brandi Christensen, “Communism and Civil War”............. 13 Casey Crossley, “Integrity Deficit: The Scarcity of Honor in Cable News” .................................................... 18 Chris Cullen, “The Power of Misconception” .................... 28 Chase Dickinson, “Are Kids on a One-Way Path to Violence?” ............................................................ 35 Melissa Healy, “Lessons from a Lionfish”............................ 39 Feliciana Lopez, “The Low Cost of Always Low Prices” .......................................................... 43 Sarah Lundquist, “Women in the Military: The Army Combat Exclusion” ............................................... 48 Jamie Baer Mercado, “Radical or Rational?” ........................ 57 Olivia Newman, “Science Friction” ...................................... 63 Jason Nightengale, “Cheating and Steroids” ........................ 68 Paulette Padilla, “Grotesque Entertainment: Should It Be Legal?” ........................................................ 76 Dolly Palmer, “The Social and Physiological Separation of Space” ....................................................... 82 Michael Porter, “Are
[Show full text]
Baseball Batter's Helmet Fact Sheet
GET A HEADS UP ON Batter’s Helmet Safety Start with the Right Size: BRING THE ATHLETE Bring your athlete with you when buying a new helmet to make sure that you can check for a good fit. HEAD SIZE To find out your athlete’s head size, wrap a soft tape measure around the athlete’s head, just above their eyebrows and ears. Make sure the tape measure stays level from front to back. (If you don’t have a soft tape measure, you can use a string and then measure it against a ruler.) SIZES WILL VARY Helmet sizes often will vary from brand-to-brand, so it’s important to check out the helmet brand’s fit and sizing charts to find out what helmet size fits your athlete’s head size. While there is no concussion- Get a Good Fit: proof helmet, a batter’s helmet GENERAL FIT A batter’s helmet should fit snugly all around, with no spaces can help protect between the pads and the athlete’s head. Your athlete should NOT wear anything under his or her batter’s helmet. This includes a your athlete from baseball hat! a serious brain or ASK head injury. Ask your athlete how the helmet feels on their head. While it needs to have a snug fit, a helmet that is too tight can cause headaches. The information HAIRSTYLE An athlete should try on the helmet with the hairstyle he or she will in this handout wear for practices and games. Helmet fit can change if the athlete’s hairstyle changes considerably.
[Show full text]
Bi-Weekly Bulletin 17-30 March 2020
INTEGRITY IN SPORT Bi-weekly Bulletin 17-30 March 2020 Photos International Olympic Committee INTERPOL is not responsible for the content of these articles. The opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not represent the views of INTERPOL or its employees. INTERPOL Integrity in Sport Bi-Weekly Bulletin 17-30 March 2020 INVESTIGATIONS Pakistan PCB Charges Umar Akmal for Breaching Anti-Corruption Code Controversial Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal has been charged on Friday for two separate breaches of the Pakistan Cricket Board's Anti-Corruption Code. Umar, who was provisionally suspended on February 20 and barred from playing for his franchise, Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League, has been charged for failing to disclose corrupt approaches to the PCB Vigilance and Security Department (without unnecessary delay). If found guilty, Akmal could be banned from all forms of cricket for anywhere between six months and life. He was issued the charge sheet on March 17 and has been given time to respond until March 31. This was a breach under 2.4.4 for PCB's anti- corruption code. A Troubled Career Umar, 29, has had a chequered career since making his debut in August, 2009 and has since just managed to play 16 Tests, 121 ODIs and 84 T20 internationals for his country despite making a century on Test debut. His last appearance came in last October during a home T20 series against Sri Lanka and before that he also played in the March- April, 2019 one-day series against Australia in the UAE.
[Show full text]
2013BB Pages 62-122.Indd
1940 UCLA Baseball Jackie Robinson spent the 1940 season playing baseball at UCLA. Robinson (far left, top row) played his first game on March 10, 1940. He finished his career at UCLA as the school’s first four-sport letterwinner (baseball, football, basketball, track and field). Gary Adams UCLA’s all-time winningest head coach (below, center), Gary Adams led the Bruins to the 1997 College World Series. That season, UCLA overcame an early loss in NCAA Regional action by winning its next five games in dominating fashion. Adams played at UCLA from 1959-62. Bob Andrews Playing under head coach Art Reichle, Paul Ellis Bob Andrews pitched for UCLA from Shown here being congratulated by his teammtes, 1948-50 when the Bruins were Paul Ellis (#19) served as the Bruins’ starting members of the CIBA. catcher in 1989 and 1990. He was a consensus first-team All-America selection and Diviion I ABCA Player of the Year honoree in 1990. 2010 UCLA Baseball The Bruins posted a program-best 51-17 record in 2010, closing the season with UCLA’s first-ever trip to the finals of the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. Anchored by starting pitchers Gerrit Cole, Trevor Bauer and Rob Rasmussen, the Bruins took down Cal State Fullerton in the Super Regionals to advance to the College World Series. 2012 UCLA Baseball Dan Guerrero Jim Parque Led by the winningest junior class in school history, the An infielder on UCLA’s baseball team from Among the top pitchers in the nation in 2012 UCLA Baseball team advanced to their second 1971-73, Guerrero has served as UCLA’s 1997, Parque posted a career 25-11 record with a 3.55 ERA College World Series in three years.
[Show full text]
Learning Curve: UNC Arm Safety Study .Pdf
THE Little Lea L gue Se E ® eks to A Addre R ss Con N cer ns, I Ans N we r Q G u es tio ns C ab ou U t C ur Study conducted by University of North Carolina Department of Exercise and Sports Science, ve R ba lls V & O ve E ru se with research funding provided by the Yawkey Foundations Table of Contents When Aches & Pains Become Serious Enough for Surgery What begins as a small, nagging ache or pain can grow into a debilitating injury if it isn't recognized and treated early. An Ounce of Talent Requires a Ton of Common Sense Youth baseball players, displaying an aptitude to pitch, have quickly moved from occasionally pitching on a recreational level to participating in more competitive situations. Study Overview: Test Groups Defined for Arm Injury Research More than 400 pitchers were surveyed each year for five years to assess their pitching methods, techniques, pain presence, and injury occurrence. Study Findings: Analysis of the Data Provides Interesting Results The study reveals the clear correlation between travel teams and “showcases” to the incidence of overuse injuries. Summary of Recommendations: Where Do We Go From Here Six points of recommendation relevant to the education and general well being of youth pitchers. Conclusion: Education, Proper Rest Best Deterrent to Avoid Injury The primary cause of arm injuries is overuse, not type of pitch. Acknowledgements For More Information 1 The Learning Curve: Little League Seeks to Address Concerns, Answer Questions about Curveballs & Overuse aseball pitchers have been attempting to deceive hitters by throwing curveballs since the 19th Century, and youth pitchers have emulated their adult counterparts since before B Little League Baseball was founded in 1939.
[Show full text]
Nondestructive Testing Detects Altered Baseball Bats
From NDT Technician , Vol. 11, No. 4, pp: 1 –5. Copyright © 2012 The American Society for Nondestructive Testing, Inc. The American Society for Nondestructive Testing www.asnt.org FOCUS Nondestructive Testing Detects Altered Baseball Bats Daniel A. Russell* Corked Wood Baseball Bats The prevalence of corked bats in X-rays and CT scans. Pete Rose Major League Baseball is not known was frequently accused of using The history of the game of baseball because players are caught only corked bats during his 1985 chase is peppered with interesting stories when the doctored bat breaks, of the all-time hits record, but no of attempts to break the rules. revealing the cork interior. For broken bats ever exposed cork. Managers have been caught stealing example, in 1974, New York Several of Rose’s bats from 1985 signs; groundskeepers have altered Yankees’ Graig Nettles shattered his are now in private collections. Cthe playing conditions of the field bat, sending several superballs Recent X-ray scans of two of these to the advantage of the home team; bouncing around home plate. In bats show that they were indeed pitchers have used petroleum jelly, 1987, Houston Astros outfielder corked. 3 mud, emery boards, or thumbtacks Billy Hatcher’s bat broke and one of Following the Sosa corked bat to alter the surface of the baseball; the pieces ended up in the hands of incident in 2003, the Major League and Major League Baseball players Chicago Cubs third baseman Keith Baseball commissioner’s office like Albert Belle, Norm Cash, Graig Moreland, who promptly showed ordered that X-ray scans be taken Nettles, and Sammy Sosa, have used the exposed cork filling to the of the rest of Sosa’s bats, including 1,4 corked bats.
[Show full text]
Corked Bats, Juiced Balls, and Humidors: the Physics of Cheating in Baseball ͒ Alan M
Corked bats, juiced balls, and humidors: The physics of cheating in baseball ͒ Alan M. Nathana Department of Physics, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801 ͒ Lloyd V. Smithb and Warren L. Faber School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164 ͒ Daniel A. Russellc Department of Physics, Kettering University, Flint, Michigan 48504 ͑Received 13 September 2010; accepted 14 January 2011͒ Three questions of relevance to Major League Baseball are investigated from a physics perspective. Can a baseball be hit farther with a corked bat? Is there evidence that the baseball is more lively today than in earlier years? Can storing baseballs in a temperature- or humidity-controlled environment signiﬁcantly affect home run production? These questions are subjected to a physics analysis, including an experiment and an interpretation of the data. The answers to the three questions are no, no, and yes, respectively. © 2011 American Association of Physics Teachers. ͓DOI: 10.1119/1.3554642͔ I. INTRODUCTION II. DESCRIPTION OF THE BAT AND BALL TEST FACILITY Baseball is rich in phenomena that are ripe for a physics analysis. In the last decade there has been an explosion in the All the experimental work for these studies was done at the bat-ball test facility at the Sports Science Laboratory at number of papers addressing interesting issues in baseball 1 from a physics perspective. In this paper we address three Washington State University. The experimental setup is de- picted schematically in Fig. 1. The measurements consisted issues of relevance to Major League Baseball. Although the of ﬁring a baseball from a high-speed air cannon onto a issues are seemingly separate, they all involve the kinematics stationary impact surface.
[Show full text]